Self-righting container



Willian United States PatentO 2,913,153 4S1nbr-RIGHrnwGv CONTAINER A. E. Warnbergy'Oklahoma City, Okla. Applicationy April 14,1958, Serial N0. 728,487

' aclims. f (ci. 222463)' This invention relates lto improvements 'in 'selfiighting oil can.

Practicallyall'presentday liquid containers'areprovided with a flat'bottom, suchthat the containers mus't'be rather carefully placed in a'vertical position'whendeposited on a shelf or'table to prevent the container from tipping over. Thus, substantial care must be taken to as'sure'that the container is setting ina vertical position to prevent-'spilling the contents therefrom. Several attempts'have been H. Hester, Jr., Ponca Cityfokvla.,` assignbr 'to' i containers 'for storing lliquidsfand more particularly, but Y not `by way'of limitation, lto an improved 'cs'lef-rightingf made to construct various types of containers, such'that the containers will no'ttip all the way over when the user does'not takeV special care in depositing the'container on a `shelf or the like. 'In 'each instance, however,such`prior efforts have involved 'the use of attaching guards or the like Vtothe container which vextend outwardly from the i container-and contact the' supporting surface 'as 'the con` tainer's tilted. For example, 'it has bee'nproposed to providefan oil can with anoutwardly extendingring s'ecured to the upper portion of the can, or thelowerffend portion of the oil can spout,which extend'sout'wa'rdly a "greater'distancethan thelar'gest diameter of the can. In

vthis "way, the' outwardlyA extending 'rim will contact'the supporting surface when the c 'an is inadvertently tilted, to preventthefcan Yfrom tilting all the way over andspilling uch semble on thecans. j

40' oil out'of the spout. 'Howeverwhen such stabilizing det 4-viceis'a're' used, the'cannecessaril v Tage area I than :wouldotherwis "bereqiiired," ad auxiliaryfdevi'ces are 'expensive tomanu'factre'and'as- The presentinventon contemplates Ya `nvelf container Y righting containerwill occupy 'substahtiallylth'e same storcans, however a similar'conceptmyhe'is wi'thother types of containers havingrestricted'outlet ends "thereof and which are formed 'o'utfo "a which will notbe easilybrolren.

importantobject ofthis invention is',

liquid container Vwhich will rightitself when iiad `rt'eiitlyl` `I tilted 'with respect to its supporting Su'rfa Another object of this'nvention is ,to p'rvde b righting container for liqudswhichlwill occiipyjjsu stantiallythesame storage spacefas'a"conventionalconta er.

',A'fui'ther object of this 'inventionis'to provide 'as'lfrighting' containerfor liquids whichjhas Yobsfructi'ons "extending outwardly (from the Vsides or upper'port'ionfof the container which would interfere-)with `the normal fuse ofthecontainer. A

"havinga'wei'ghted and rounded'fbtton1""portio1 "c'o'ni structed .insuch ajm'anner that the'c'onta'iner in'ay beftilted to a substantial angle, `jand y'etjwill fright itself "when reliself-rightirigcontainer; Y

Vstill 'further object lof this Viriventionjs ,to provide a Y self-'righting container for 'liquids which is Simple in construction 'and' may' be" "economically manufactured.

v4which illustrate myinventioi.

2,913,153 Patented Nov. 17, l1959 `righting oil `San wherein il lnlay be ejectedlby vpushing on Lthebottiznn ofthe canin the normal fashion, yetthellower end -of the'can" Willbe weighted and rounded'toprovide a s Other objects and V'adva'r'itages o 'f the invention .will be Vevident .from the 'following detailed "description, when read in'fco'njunction with 'the 4ak'zco'r''rip'anyin'g 'drawings YL'lnthe drawings:

Figurel 'is anelevatiorl'viw,`partially in s ection,' of

an voil can constructed inacco'rdace' 'with ther .present ,in

ven-tion,A

enl'p'ortion o'f 'a 'modiliedil 'can constructed in accordancefwi'th this invention.

other rnodifiedoilcn constructed in accordance witlithis invention. -j j Y.

Figure 4 is an elevational View, partially in section, of

' another form' of'con'tainer'const'ructed in' accordance with this invention. Y.

"Referring 'to` rvthe drawings linfdetail, and particularly Figl 1, `r"eferen`ce 'charatef generallydesignates a self- "rightin'g 'oil can comprising 'a hollow body -8 land anovel base p'o'rtion'llL 'Ihefhollo'wv body v8 may be of any y desire'dcngu'ration, but is tpreferably circular in crossvsection in the'mainer f present day oil cans. VThe upperY wall 12 "ofthebody `81isextended upwardly at 14 and provided withan opening or'aperture '1 6' having a diameter substantially'lss Atha'ifftlie in erdiameter of mthelower .portion Aof the jbody 8. '"I'he" portion`14ofl theVv upper Awall 'provide threads' whichreceive a cap meinberflS KVfortified on j'cxible material, s'ucli as'a nietalfhaving a Vthic "lrr'iess less than the' remainder 'ofthe body "8, in order that `oil'may be lfor-eea cur of the can'L 6 through the spcnr'ze'byjnie userpre'ssingpwardly on the l'aottmfZZ.J V "The upperfend ofthe base member" 10 has substantiall ,ist'iltai;asL winbe'fncre'run'y hereinafter 'sefforth'g The t side walls 2'8 'are therefore extended `dc'iwriwaidly i fand' inwardly'to form th'bftomlof the base` 'member 'and 'an'y aperture /Bll is formed .iii'the 'bottom of fthe base 'member l/tl'jhaving a diameter, sucieritly largeY `to re- ."ceive' the thumb of theuser of the can. A 'riii'g'SZ is lseciiredfin Ythe aperture 30 and fexte'nds.l upwardlyv in to connectionjvith'an anniilarplatefl extending ,outwardly into connctionhwith',thefsidefwalls 28 djacentthfupper 28 to form a closed annular chamber 36 extending around the axis of the aperture 30. A weighting material 38, such as sand or? the like, is deposited in the chamber 36 to provide a ballast for the can 6. A sut- 'cient amountof the weighting inaterial`38 is provided n the chamber 3 6 to position the center of gravity vof the Ventire can'6 below the bottom 22 of the vbody member 8 such as at. the point designated by X. The centerof 'gravity Xis, o f course, centrally locatedwith respect to "the ean" 6, since the weighting `materiall38 is'evenly distributed around the base member 10.V

lIn use of the can 6, the canis substantially filled with oil in. "th `e normal fashion, land the oil is discharged Athrough the spout by the user inserting his thumb or finger through the aperture andthe ring`32 into contact with the bottom 22 ofthe can. v The user alternately 'forcesin andreleases the bottom I22 to force theol through the spout 20. When the user is 'throughwith the can 6, he places the can in .substantially an upright position .on asupporting shelf, or'the like. In the event the can 6 is partially tipped over, or is not deposited ina substantially vertical, direction, the' can will momentarily rest on the side wall 28 of the base member 10. However, as long as the center of gravity'X of the can 6 is not moved over the point of contact of the wall 28'with the supporting surface, the can 6will right itself, that is,

the can 6 will right itself even if tilted all the way over on itsY side. The heavier the weighting material 38, as

. compared with the remaining weight of the can 6, including the contents of the can, the lower will be the center of gravity X, and the greater fthe degree which the can'may be tilted and 'right itself; As alrule of thumb,

user can manipulate and hold the can 42, and a suitable lever 64 is extended from the mechanism 56 over the handle 62 for operating the pumping portion 60 of the mechanism 56. It will be understood that the mechanism 56 may be of any standard design to pump oil from the body 44 through a spout 66 when the user raises and lowers the lever 64.

The base member 46 of the can 42 is also circular in cross-section and is secured to the lower end of the body 44 in any suitable manner, such as by welding 68. The side walls 70 of the base member 46 are curved downwardly and inwardly (in the same manner as the side walls 28 of the base member 10 previously described) to support the can 42 when the can is tilted. The side walls 70 are llattened at 72 to forma substantially iiat supporting surface 74 in the bottom center of the base member 46. The diameter of the dat supporting surface 74 is substantially less than the diameter of .the body 44 L and is preferably novgreater about onethird the diameter 201 of the body 44. A plate 76 lis securedA inthe base vinember 46 slightly below the tops of the side walls 70 to hold a weighting material 78 in the base member 46. It will also be observed that the plate 76 may be eliminated and the weighting material 78 willfbe covered by the L connection with Fig. 1.

bottom 48.A However, I normally prefer to use the plate 76, vsince the base is ordinarily made separately from the body 44'. The weighting vmaterial Y78 positions the cen- .'ter of vgravity (not shown) of the container 42 on the center line ofthe can substantially bel0w the bottom 48 so of the body 44 to provide a self-righting action for the can 42 in the same manner as previously described in The amount of the weighting material 78 and theweight of the material 78, as cornsuflicient weighting material should be provided -to position the' center lof gravity of the can, when empty, about half way upthe side walls 28.

^ Themas-'may be-'modieds illustrated in Fig. 2 by securing anelongated button on` the 'lower face of the bottom 22 at'the center of. the bottom 22. The button 40 extends downwardly through the ring32 and'is of a lengthL to terminate slightly"above the bottom" of the base member 10, such that the buttonfwill'not interfere The button 40 facilitates the movementof the flexiblewith the support of the can 6 bythe base in ember 1 0.

bottom 22 of the can 6 for Aforcing oil out of the spout 20. By'use of the button 40,theuser'merely presses on the lowe'rend of the buttonanddoes not'extendfhis lthumb 'or ngerany substantial distance ythrough the ring 32, Also, I prefer to secure a circular plate of liexible material 41 in the aperture 30 over the lowerV end of the button 40'to exclude dirt and 4other foreignmatter from fthe ring 32.' The lower end/of the button40 maybe in the body 44 is extended upwardly around the outlet aper contact with the'upper face of the plate 41'.

paredwith the weight of the remainder of the can 42, de- 35 lower the center of gravity, the greater angle to which the can 42 may be tilted before the can will fail to right termines the height of the center of gravity, and the The containers, including the base members, shown in Figs. 13- are normally formed out of a metal although they may be formed out of any desired material, so long as the containers and base members willY not break or crack when inadvertently'dropped or knocked over.

Still another form of container 80 is illustrated in Fig. 4 and comprises a hollowbody member 82 substantially circular in cross-sectionl and having a flat bottomy 84 extendingacioss the lower endthereof.l vA no; z le8,6 is

`formed inthe upper end of thebodyv 82 to provide 'an outlet 88 having a diameter substantially smaller than the inner diameter ofthe lower portion ofthe body y82.

It will thus be" observed that the body 82 vmay be tilted a substantial distance before liquid in the body 82 will i pour out of the nozzle 86. A base member 90 is lsecured on the lower en d of Vthe body 82 in any desired manner.

Anothertypeof oil can 42 is illustrated in'Fig. 3 and v L comprises a hollow body' member 44 of circular crosssectionaud abasememb'er 46. The'bodyv member 44 has a dat solid bottom 48 which wouldnormally support the Acan .42 in an upright position.' The top wall 5 0 of ture 52 to formja` threadedext'ension '54. 1 outlet 52 issubstantially `s maller in diameter than theY inner diameter ofthe main' portion of the body`44. An'oil dispetising mechanism 56 is secured in the outlet 52 to re- ;move oil from the body 44.' The dispenser 56 is provided with an outwardly and downwardly extending ,eircumferential liange 5 8 'which is threaded or crimped forV threaded connection with the extension 54 at the upper end of the body 44;'f1'he pumping portion 60 For example, the basemember 90 may be provided' with a top wall 92 which is secured ush against the bottom '84 of the body' 82 by a layer 94 of cement or glue or the like. A'weighting material 96 having a weight greater than the remainder of the container-80 is deposited in the base' member 90 to retain the center 'of gravity of the entire container 80 below the bottom 84 ofv theV body 82 in the same Amanner as previously described. The base member'90'is preferably circularincross-section at its upper end to conform to the configuration of thelower end ofgthe body 82, and the sidewalls `98 of ,the base member 490 are curved downwardly and inwardly in the vsame manner as 'thebase member 46 describedV in connectiou with Fig. 3, s uch that (the container 88' will-right itself when tilted to a substantial angle.

vand base member-90 areformed out ofamaterial which willfwithstand substantial shocks and not be shattered or The body, 82

I broken when'inadvertently knocked Vagainstl any solid of the mechanism 56 extendsidownwardly' into the lower portion of .theb'ody 44. A suitablehandle 62 extends l from on'efside: of the mechanism 56 in order `thatthe objeta gnrrexampte, the body sz .andv base member 9o may be `formed out of asuitable plastic material.. Also, Y the body 82 may be Aformed out of a slightly elastic material, such that the contents of the container 80 may be forced through the nozzle y36 by pressing inwardly on the side walls of the body 82.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel self-righting container for liquids Which may be tilted to a substantial angle and will right itself to prevent spillage of the contents of the container. A container constructed in accordance with this invention will occupy substantially the same storage space as a conventional container and has no outwardly extending projections thereon to interfere with handling the container in a conventional manner. An oil can or other container constructed in accordance with this invention will be simple in construction and may be economically manufactured.

Changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of parts or elements as heretofore set forth in the specification and shown in the drawings, it being understood that changes may be made in the precise embodiments disclosed without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A self-righting oil can, comprising a hollow body having a spout in the upper end thereof forming an outlet of a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the lower portion of the body and having a substantially flat bottom, at least the central portion of said bottom being flexible for forcing oil through the spout when the bottom is manually pressed, and a base member circular in cross-section and secured around the lower edge of the body, said base member having its sides curved downwardly and inwardly and having a vertical bore through the central portion thereof in communication with the central portion of the bottom of said body, said base member also having a weight suicient to position the center of gravity of the entire can below the bottom of the body. Y

2. An oil can as defined in claim 1 characterized further in having an elongated button secured to the central portion of the bottom of the body and extending downwardly through said bore, said button being of a length to extend only partially through said bore and terminate above the bottom of the base member.

3. An oil can as defined in claim 1 characterized further in that said base member has an annular-shaped chamber therein around said bore, and a nely divided weighting material in said chamber providing a ballast for weighting the base member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 54,394 Olmstead May 1, 1866 164,589 Perkins June 15, 1875 225,785 Beattie Mar. 23, 1880 

